The invention relates to a floor covering, comprising an essentially sheet-shaped or plate-shaped matrix made of an elastomeric material, wherein the matrix is provided with particles.
Such a floor covering is known from German patent DE 198 48 137 B4. The floor covering shown there is provided with particles in order to impart it with color, these particles being scattered onto the base material that has been shaped into a sheet. The particles consist of an unvulcanized rubber material. The subsequent thermal treatment softens the particles so that they are deformed through the effect of mechanical forces. This gives rise to a homogeneous bonding of the particles.
The use of the unvulcanized rubber particles described above is thus especially well-suited for coloring a floor covering. However, they are not suitable to impart the floor covering with a pattern in a prescribed form since the particles are deformed irregularly within the scope of the subsequent mechanical and thermal treatment. In order to give a floor covering a prescribed pattern, the particles can be made of an already vulcanized rubber material. They are dimensionally stable, even during subsequent mechanical and thermal process steps. Due to the high demands that are made in terms of dimensional stability during the subsequent process steps, however, the shape diversity on the one hand, and the material selection for the particles on the other hand are limited.